


A Character Analysis on Crisostomo Ibarra, Elias, and Simoun

by thisisashittyusername



Category: El Nolibusterismo, Noli Me Tangere & Related Works - José Rizal
Genre: BUT IT WAS MEANT TO BE A CHARACTER ANALYSIS OKAY, I swear to God, NOT FANFICTION THO, OKAY MAYBE IT GETS A LITTLE SHIPPY AT THE END, THIS ISN'T FANFICTION, a character analysis, does ao3 accept things other than fanfictions?, if not tell me so i can get this off, just a bunch of character analysis i can read sometimes when making fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:44:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3546509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisashittyusername/pseuds/thisisashittyusername
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A (failed) character analysis. Not fanfiction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Character Analysis on Crisostomo Ibarra, Elias, and Simoun

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not actually sure if this content is allowed in AO3. Does AO3 accept character analyses too, or is it just for fanfictions? IDK. But let me FEEL bruh.

 

Basically, Crisostomo Ibarra is an optimist, Elias is a realist, and Simoun is a pessimist.

* * *

**CRISOSTOMO IBARRA (Optimist)**

Crisostomo is an educated _illustrado_ who spent 7 years of his life in Europe. He has a goal for the country; he has his dreams and his aspirations. However, this _love_ he has for the country is lacking. It does not possess the truth the Phillippines' holds.

Okay, so, to elaborate, Crisostomo is an _illustrado_ , right? That means to say that as much as he's an _indio,_ like every single Filipino out there, he was also somewhat _Kastila/European_ in thought. Think of a chocolate donut sprinkled with nuts. The donut is just as nutty as it is chocolate. In the same way, even if Crisostomo loved his country and identified himself as a Filipino, he wasn't exactly 100% Filipino. That's what you get for being sheltered away from your homeland for seven years. We're gonna get more into depth about that later.

Next key point: Crisostomo is a dreamer. He has these goals planned out for the betterment of the country, and he has money, so it wasn't really a problem (aside from the _kura_ and whatever shit Damaso had in store for him). You know how private schools in our society nowadays have these outreach programs to help the people in need? Yeah. That's basically him. But the problem is that when you take away the school's meddling, the student wouldn't know the first thing about how to help people. I mean, as a private school student, I can attest to this firsthand. It was a flaw in an otherwise good and noble plan. The obstruction in helping them wasn't about the money. It wasn't about your lack of knowledge of their status either. Without that crucial bridge (bridge being the school, in my case), you wouldn't know how to help anyone at all. You might as well be an ignoramus. Such was the situation of Ibarra. The only thing he actually knew how to do was the school thing. But look at all his other dreams- like helping Sisa, for example. He didn't know the first thing about helping a crazy person who lost her kids. There was a bridge missing here, which explains the lack of action he had for helping her.

Not to mention the obvious "I am better than you" statement this whole charade showed. Going back to our previous example (me as a private school student), I always found it stupid how we'd wait in a public school's corridor to go preach to them about things they didn't know (that we didn't know too, lol, but that's not the point here). Do you know how awkward it was for those kids (kids the same age as us, for God's sake) to stare at us like we were the answer to all their prayers? They stared at us like we were fucking gods. Which we weren't. We were far from that. But to them, we were so important; our presence was something they celebrated. There might as well be a banner looming over us saying, "These are the private school kids, please deposit your prayers and dreams here". Seriously. This thing, in my opinion, was something that heavily emphasized the gap in our society: the gap between the rich and the indigent. And it completely defeated the purpose of coming over to them and bond with them and shit. We were supposed to be there to learn more about them and vice versa, not to parade around their corridors to show that we were the better people. Despite our efforts to be _one_ with them, there was still an obvious gap between us.

What does this mean for Ibarra? As much as I love Crisostomo's character, I can't help but feel that he never got the idea of being a Filipino. Why? There was an obvious gap. As much as he tried to help all these people- to dream for them where they could not- he was still untouchable to them. He wasn't someone who was like them- he was someone above them. People had this weird god complex around him (at least, that's what I _feel_ , don't hate on my opinions), treating him like he was everything and shit, but at the same time, he wasn't like them.

You know how the old people regard God? Like he's the answer to everyone, he was the salvation, but at the same time he was untouchable? Yeah. That's it.

For the last point: despite Crisostomo loving the country, _butas-butas yung alam niya_ about it. I mean, his knowledge about the country is just textbook stuff. He's never really seen a _sawimpalad_ up close. They might as well be a myth to him.

 

So yes. As a closing, let me bunch all these ideas together: Crisostomo tries hard to do good things for the country, but he never really implements it as well as he should've. Why?

1\. missing "bridges" between his dreams and reality

2\. he wasn't 100% Filipino (In my dad's words, "He's a brown _Kastila._ ")

  * spent 7 years outside the country; ofc his ideals are more European than what is fitting for the Philippine society back then
  * sheltered; he doesn't have a clue about the shit going on on his homeland (the gap and the god complex doesn't help with that either)



* * *

**ELIAS (Realist)**   
  
Elias is a boatman who's seen the shit going on firsthand. His method of punishment was pretty reasonable and justified. He has this deep inclination for the _pag-asa_ s out there.

 

**SIMOUN (Pessimist)**

The "terrorist" or whatever. (lol idk actually, I haven't read El Fili; I'll probably fix this as I learn more about it)

 

There's a reason for me presenting these two characters together. OMG so excite. Okay, let's start.

 

Yay, the more interesting guy! Elias the motherflipping hot ass _bangkero._ Yes, so we've established that Elias is the foreman guy; he's seen the shit himself. _Pamilya palang niya, malaman na sa istorya._ So he's got the sad family history story, yeah, the one laced with a lot of violence and prostitution and a hell lot more violence, which explains his inclination towards the more _marahas_ ways of dealing with the people responsible for the crap. I mean, if you found out that your great grandfather was blamed for something he didn't do, then your _Lola_ turned to a prostitute, then your _Tito_ and A LOT OF PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY START DYING, then yes, I would understand if you would be big on the whole "peaceful revolution" thing.

But all throughout the novel, you'd see that he'd only do bad things to the people who do bad things as well. He never really hurts the people he doesn't have to. I mean, look- he beats up Damaso, he's responsible for the death of the yellow man and Lucas. Why did he beat up those guys? WE DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY HE BEAT UP DAMASO, DAMASO WAS A FUCKING DICK ~~(for Doña Pia. huehuehuehuheue)~~. As for the yellow man; well, he was a threat to Ibarra's life, even more so Lucas' character! So yes, it was justified.

But the beautiful thing about Elias is that despite every single shit that's been spewed out for him, he never really turns to a pessimist. Why is that? Maybe it's the way he wants peace, too, as the output of all this confusion, or maybe it's what his own family troubles taught him. Maybe he gets it from the experience of rowing his boat out the water, seeing the sun rise from the darkened horizon, always reminding him that there will always be a day for everyone to rise out of all the hurt and the anger the Kastila dealt on them. I mean, Elias' character is a pretty introspective one; and with every experience he has- as simple as rowing his boat, or as complex as cosplaying as some guy to kill another guy under his name- comes a learning. I don't know how his thought process works- I'm too much of a Crisostomo Ibarra to comprehend all this- so I can only guess.

But let's go back to the main question: what stops him from turning into a full-pledged pessimist?

The answer is simple. He's holding onto hope.

He believes that one day, someone will come, something will happen, that will lead the people out of this Egyptian-like social structure. He trusts that one day, someone will be the answer to all this.

It just so happens his "hope" comes in the form of Crisostomo Ibarra.

 

(If you see the parallel between my example of the public school student and Elias' character, then you fucking win at life.)

 

Most people would say, though, that Elias is no different from Simoun. And those people are wrong. There's a thin line between the two guys' ideals; yes, it's barely there, but it's a line nonetheless. As I've said, Elias is more concentrated and focused in his punishments. If he were a gun, he'd probably be a rifle. But Simoun is like a bomb; as long as you were in the range, you were fucking toast.

What makes Simoun so different? It's actually the same thing that makes his character so sad for me.

Look, as much as Elias wanted the _marahas_ way, he believed that the country still had hope. He had his hope, anyway; there was Ibarra to fill that void. But think about Simoun; put yourself in the shoes of Crisostomo Ibarra. Imagine everything being taken from you, the only lifeline left being Elias. In that one chapter, diba, he can't even stay with Maria Clara, even if he wanted to, because it was dangerous. They took away his name, took away his family, his girlfriend, his reputation, his fucking house _just burnt down_ \- from fancy illustrado, you were turned to a ruthless, worthless criminal.

All because you wanted a good change for the Philippines.

And who was there to watch you and catch your fall?

 

Elias.

 

Not even the naïve Maria Clara was there for him.

(Yeah, so what if Maria Clara repeatedly kissed him on the lips? Kisses aren't worth saving lives; more so when said life-saving HAPPENS THREE FUCKING TIMES.)

 

And imagine, this man is the only thing left for you.

Even in your darkest moment, you think to yourself that there could still be a chance for you- that despite your losses, you could still escape to Europe and continue your life there- and what does he say first regarding this?

" _Elias, sumama ka sa'kin."_

Why did he ask that? He believed he still could live his life in Europe, and he wants Elias with him? Why?

 

Because deep down, Elias is his hope.

His last hope.

 

Imagine seeing that last hope jumping out the water to save you.

Imagine seeing him die for you- for you, who was nothing now.

 

Imagine seeing that candle of hope flicker into nothing.

 

This is the advantage of Elias in dying: he spends his last moments believing in something. Ibarra is safe, Ibarra is still alive, Ibarra can make the change-

This is why Elias is the realist. Because despite the anger in his actions, he believes that there is hope. Even in his dying breath, he believes in that hope. He has that hope. He can die peacefully, knowing his hope is still out there.

 

But Crisostomo is left there with a (literal) dead hope.

This is why he is the pessimist.

There is no hope for him now.


End file.
